The Curious Case Of A Sudden Demand For Hydroxychloroquine

And why does everyone want a piece of this pie?

What Happened?

On March 3, India banned the export of 26 ingredients and medicines on fears that there might be a shortage of essential drugs because of a supply chain disruption from China. (And this list included Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and we will come to why this particular drug is the most important one later in this article). Nearly a month later, India has now eased the restrictions on 24 drug exports in light of the humanitarian aspects of the pandemic.

Why Did This Happen?

On Saturday, PM Narendra Modi and President Trump had a phone call whether to agree to remain in touch on the issue of global supply chains for critical pharmaceuticals and medical supplies and to ensure they continue to function as smoothly as possible during the global health crisis”.

After this phone call, Trump said that “there may be retaliation” if India refused to allow the supply of the drugs. And viola! India has now allowed the export of the drugs and sources said that intense pressure from the US is what made India lift the restrictions.

Why The Big Rush?

Because Trump desperately wants to get his hands on hydroxychloroquine.

Why you ask? Because Trump truly believes that HCQ can work on coronavirus. He even said that he would consider taking the drug himself, as a preventive measure.

HCQ is an antimalarial medicine approved in the United States for either prevention or treatment of certain types of malaria, lupus erythematosus, and rheumatoid arthritis. Hydroxychloroquine sulfate has not been approved for the treatment of COVID-19.

It has been used experimentally to treat certain people with COVID-19, including hospitalized patients. Hydroxychloroquine sulfate is being used to try and stop the COVID-19 virus from spreading inside your body

So, you get the picture. HCQ has the potential to become an effective treatment for COVID-19. And this is why everyone wants to have a piece of this pie.

India’s Pharma Industry — In Numbers

• India is the world’s main supplier of generic drugs, as our export comprises 20 to 22% of global export volume. And in the past 3 years, the U.S.A, UK, South Africa, Russia and Brazil were our top 5 export destinations for our country.
• Also, pharmaceutical exports from India stood at $19.13 billion in 2018–19 and reached $9.36 billion in 2019–20 (until October 2019). And this is anticipated to surge by 30% to hit $20 billion by 2020.
• Also, a Bloomberg News analysis found that 47% of the U.S supply of HCQ last year came from Indian manufacturers, which includes Zydus Pharma, Cadila Healthcare.
• Besides the U.S, Sri Lanka and Nepal were also requesting India to lift the ban on the export of HCQ, which indicates the global demand for the drug.

This clearly tells you how much other countries are dependent on us when it comes to drugs.

The Indian government has already placed the order for around 10 crore HCQ tablets and Ipca laboratories and Zydus Cadila have bagged the orders to manufacture the drug.

Shubhra Singh, chairman of National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority said that if HCQ proves further relevance, its production can be jacked up.

So, if clinical trials prove that HCQ is effective in treating COVID-19, the demand for the product will continue to rise. India has also manufactured enough to make sure that the domestic needs are met. This global demand will put India’s place in the map as one of the biggest suppliers for generic drugs.

But above all of this, if this drug can actually cure the coronavirus, then we would be able to save a lot of lives before this outbreak reaches its peak.

If you have any questions about the coronavirus, please check this article, published by WHO.

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